Visualization and Meditation

For me, visualization and meditation are the two practices I like to go to for relaxation. Since I am a visual learner, visualization works really well for me. It is easy and relaxing for me to visualize some of my favorite places that I haven't been to in awhile but bring so much joy to me. Also, the practice of meditation really helps me relax. I find myself being tense frequently but I don't notice it until I take a few moments to meditate or when I do my breathing exercises. Meditation brings a calmness into a hectic life, which I have right now. Calmness is always a welcome sensation. Both practices can be done almost anywhere. I definitely don't recommend trying either practice while driving in a car! But if you are the passenger, go for it! Calming the mind helps us to walk through life in a more relaxed state. When you are more relaxed you are calmer and more tuned in to your surroundings. I think this puts you in a frame of mind where you are present and aware. Being present and aware fosters mental fitness. You need to use your brain and keep it fit especially as you age. A fit brain is a healthy brain.

Meeting Jesus

The timing of my meditation was perfect. I tried to meditate earlier in the day but kept on getting interrupted. Then there were some family issues going on that started to escalate, you know what happens around the holidays when people start to get a bit edgy. Even though the holidays are supposed to exude "loving-kindness" this doesn't always happen. Well, right after the family situation, which remained unresolved, I went into my room and proceeded to meditate. I really needed this to calm my inner mind. I imagined Jesus as the loving source. It was really easy to do and to bring his light into my existence was overwhelmingly peace generating. Now, I can be mindful of my family members, not take things personally and continue unconditional love for all. The saying, "one can not lead another where one has not gone himself" rings true to me. You can not teach someone well, about a topic you are unfamiliar with. If I went to see a health coach who smoked, was obese and unkempt, I would question their authority on the topic of health. It would be unwise of me to seek council from someone who really does not follow their own advise. To me this is the perfect example of a hypocrite. If I wouldn't go to someone that doesn't practice what they preach then I would expect no less from myself. Integral health is an on-going journey which you must be actively present in order to flourish. When you stop the process you stop flourishing. There are so many different modalities to achieve integral health, by learning and exploring knew modalities you can continue the process and find what works best for you.

Integral Assessment

As usual, I really enjoyed the "Loving Kindness" meditation exercise. It is always very relaxing. I always use headphones when I'm at home listening to these exercises because there are a lot of people living here and I get distracted if I don't wear them. It was no surprise to me when I completed the integral assessment and learned which areas I needed to work on. Right now my focus is on family out of necessity to help my daughter heal. I also have to keep in mind my other children need my attention to. This is pretty much consuming all of my time. I realize my life is completely out of balance and I know that "this too shall pass". Once things calm down, which I think should be in about a month, I intend on taking another assessment to see which areas I would like to focus on. In the meantime, I need to have a little time to myself to nourish my soul. Driving to work seems to be a good time for me to listen to some healing music. I also have a CD of Louise Hay which is very soothing and healing.

The Subtle Mind

These past two weeks of my life have been a roller coaster of emotions because my daughter was rushed to the hospital and was in the ICU for almost two weeks. She is still in the hospital and we don't know when she will be able to come home. Practicing the subtle mind is something I started doing without even knowing it. It has helped keep me sane. I have enjoyed both "the subtle mind" and "loving kindness" exercises. I really don't have any negative comments about either. I love trying out knew types of meditation techniques and using the ones I like over and over. Both of these techniques really help me to stay calm. In my opinion you cannot be healthy if you do not take care of every aspect of yourself. You must nurture mind, body and spirit. You may be a top athlete with a great physique but if you do not take care of your inner health you only look healthy on the outside. Personally working on my inner health encourages me to make sure I take care of my physical body. Our mind, body and spirit works together to create wholeness, but it won't happen by itself, we must nurture and train ourselves daily.

My experience with the "Loving Kindness" exercise by Dacher was easy to do. First, I love the sound of the waves because I am a coastal California girl and it felt like home to me. Also, the woman who spoke had a soothing voice. I was able to think about my daughter who is currently in the hospital and feel very strong emotions about this situation. It wasn't as easy to transfer those emotions to myself. I had to take a few moments to mentally process some of these feelings and emotions. Overall it was a good exercise. The concept of Dacher's (2006)mental workout is to practice our inner development and consciousness particularly for its healing benefits. One of the ways to practice a mental workout is to do kind things for others. Many people do things for others because they themselves want to get "paid" back at some time in the future. It is best to do kind acts with no other motives than the act of kindness itself. Reference: Dacher, E. (2006). Integral health the path to human flourishing. Laguna Beach: Basic Health